Crime

Young Thug nearly didn't make it to the Grammys after he got put in cuffs just hours beforehand -- but, luckily, he didn't find himself in a jail cell come showtime.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... YT and a group of guys riding in a van were pulled over early Sunday morning for a traffic violation in WeHo. We're told Young Thug and the other passengers were taken out of the car and handcuffed.

As you can see in this video, obtained by TMZ, they were lined up outside a McDonald's ... and, at one point, Thug also had his hands over his head.

Our sources tell us one of the men in the vehicle -- not Thug -- told police that he was in possession of a registered firearm, but upon further inspection ... cops found the gun wasn't registered in California, so the guy got arrested on the spot. Everyone else was cut loose.

It's a good thing YT was able to walk away from this relatively scot-free, 'cause he was part of the opening act later Sunday alongside Camila Cabello. Seeing how he's the featured artist on her song, "Havana" ... it was kinda important that he be there.

He also ended up winning his first Grammy ever for his contribution to Childish Gambino's "This Is America," which won Song of the Year. YT was one of many MCs who provided backing vocals for the track.

4:30 PM PT -- Jake Paul's lawyer tells TMZ ... Jake was not present during the citizen's arrest. The lawyer adds Jake was not even aware of the citizen's arrest at the time it was made.

Jake Paul's security roughed up a neighbor and falsely placed him under a citizen's arrest because of the way he looked ... according to a new suit.

Paul's neighbor claims in February 2018, he rang the buzzer to enter Jake's home and drove his car in once the gate was opened for him. He says he wanted to speak with Paul about cars driving at high speeds in and out of his residence ... which he felt was a safety concern for their community.

According to the docs ... one of Jake's friends verbally attacked the man once he got out of his car, and a security guard got in his face and accused him of trespassing. He claims the guard then "grabbed him, twisted his arm behind his back and threw him against his car to hold" him.

The man says cops were called by Paul's people, and he was detained while they tried to convince the officers he was trespassing. According to the docs ... the cops didn't find evidence of that and let him go.

The man claims the citizen's arrest at Paul's pad was done without reasonable probable cause and even worse ... he thinks it was "racially motivated" based on his religion and nationality.

He's suing Paul for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress ... and wants damages.

Bow Wow was enraged at his girlfriend before their violent fight, forcefully snatching something from her, cornering her and getting all up in her grill ... according to a surveillance video obtained by TMZ.

The video taken from their apartment complex shows Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie Holden taking an elevator up to their unit after a night of partying. The rapper looks PISSED at Kiyomi Leslie, because he rips something from her hand, and appears to berate her.

The video shows rising tension between Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie leading up to their knock-down, drag-out brawl over the weekend in Atlanta, which led to both of them getting arrested for battery.

We broke the story ... Kiyomi Leslie told cops Bow Wow flew into a jealous rage because she was talking to another man at a party. Bow Wow backed her story up, and said she called him a "bitch ass n*****."

As we reported ... after the brawl, Kiyomi Leslie called 911 claiming Bow Wow hit her several times, took her phone and refused to let her out of a bedroom.

We also obtained photos of the injuries Bow Wow says he sustained at the hands of Kiyomi Leslie, and they show deep scratches on his face and bite marks on his body.

Cops have arrested 5 juveniles who allegedly shot and killed pop/rock singer Kyle Yorlets.

Cops say the children were attempting to steal the 24-year-old singer's car and shot him after he refused to turn over his keys.

The children range in age from 12 to 16.

Police say the 5 children were in a pickup truck in an alley behind Kyle's home when they saw him and allegedly decided to steal his car. They didn't get the car but did get his wallet. Kyle, who was dying from the wound, somehow made it inside his home. One of his roommates found him sometime later.

The eerie profile picture on Kyle's Facebook page was updated on January 21 with a bitmoji with his hands up in the air and labeled, "Guess I'll die."

Kyle was the lead singer in the band Carverton. He had a side job as a bartender in Nashville.

A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for his funeral. So far, it's raised nearly $27,000.

Wiz Khalifa is looking to rent out one of his L.A. properties -- the same one that was broken into last year -- and you can live the Taylor Gang lifestyle if you've got 5 figures to burn every month.

We've learned the Pittsburgh rapper is listing his Bel-Air home for $16,000 a month ... so, you're going to have to work hard, play hard to live it up like Wiz.

As you can see, the space is pretty sweet ... the 3-story home has incredible views of the L.A. skyline and canyons, an infinity pool and spa, high ceilings and glass walls, 2 fireplaces and a recording studio.

Sounds like the perfect place to enjoy kush and orange juice. Just be sure you have enough furniture to fill out the place -- it's 8,970 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 7 baths.

Oh, and about that break-in ... as we reported, burglars hit Wiz's crib back in August, but a house sitter scared them off before they could ransack the place.

As for Wiz's new digs? TMZ broke the story ... he scooped up a super modern mansion in Encino for a cool $3.4 million.

Luann de Lesseps is getting a wake-up call from her probation officer, because the PO says she's not keeping up with the terms of her probation from her drunken arrest case ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Luann is failing to prove she's been attending the required 2 AA meetings per week ... and she's not complying with taking random sobriety tests.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' star is not being punished for blowing off parts of her probation, but she's essentially being told to get it together, or else. In the docs, her PO says she's been under supervision for 6 months and has failed to comply with the conditions.

As we reported ... Luann is on probation after striking a sweet plea deal. She has to knock out 50 hours of community service by August 28 ... and, according to the docs, she's halfway through, having completed 25 hours.

As we reported, Luann was arrested on Christmas Eve in 2017 for attacking police during her bust. There's video of Luann telling a cop she'd kill him if he kept touching her.

The woman who played Michael Jackson's costar in the iconic music video "Thriller" is in the midst of a real-life nightmare ... now that her ex-manager has been charged with felony stalking.

Ola Ray's alleged stalker, Timothy Beal, has been slapped with a slew of charges coming on the heels of incidents last month that forced her to file for a restraining order. Beal's been charged with 3 felonies -- stalking, vandalism and grand theft, as well as 6 misdemeanor counts of contempt in court.

According to legal docs ... Ray got a restraining order January 11 after alleging her ex-manager showed up to her house unannounced for 3 straight days. She claims Beal banged on her door, yelled profanity and threatened her, her grandkids and son-in-law.

Beal was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away, but less than a week after she got the restraining order, he allegedly followed and harassed Ray ... hence the felony stalking charge.

The vandalism and grand theft charges are for allegedly busting up Ray's Ford Thunderbird and stealing the car's hardtop.

Sports broadcasting legend Warner Wolf -- who coined the phrase, "Let's go to the videotape" -- was arrested in Florida after officials say he ripped the word, "Plantation," off a sign at a private community.

Long story short ... Wolf lives in a gated community called "Classics Plantation Estates" in Naples, Florida (about 60 miles from Miami) ... but he thinks the word, "plantation," is offensive and wanted it removed.

According to the police report, Wolf had lobbied the homeowners association to drop it for months -- but on Nov. 30, the 81-year-old finally took matters into his own hands.

Cops say Warner drove to the main community sign -- located in a fancy fountain -- and used a tool to remove the word himself.

Officials say they have video showing Wolf defacing the sign -- and after a lengthy investigation, he finally surrendered to police on Feb. 7.

Also, cops say Warner returned the letters from the sign to the community security guard.

Wolf was booked for causing criminal mischief that resulted in more than $1,000 in damage -- a felony. He was released on $5,000 bond.

So far, no comment from Warner.

Wolf is a sports broadcasting legend -- he worked for ABC Sports and called Monday Night Baseball, football and the Olympics. He also had a cameo in "Rocky IV."

The "Fiji Water Girl" is full of herself and, instead of turning on the company that made her famous, she should have just enjoyed it and honored her contract ... that's how Fiji sees it, anyway.

Fiji filed a counter lawsuit Friday against model Kelleth Cuthbert -- real name Kelly Steinbach -- saying she's "bitten the hand that feeds her" and attempted to extort the company for half a million dollars. In docs, Fiji says Kelly's real motivation was getting a better deal ... aka more money.

As you know ... Cuthbert became a viral sensation after photobombing every celeb at the Golden Globes, and her likeness was later used on cardboard cutouts at various stores to promote the water. She sued, claiming she never gave Fiji her permission for that campaign.

Fiji's calling BS and, according to docs, it had a valid deal with Kelleth to be a brand ambassador for $90k, and claims it included using her likeness for its related ad campaign.

Fiji says she tried to skirt the deal by "suing the very company that is entirely responsible for providing her the opportunity and the means to capitalize on her fleeting 15 minutes of internet fame." Ouch. Body blow.

The company also says it has video and photo proof of Cuthbert signing her contract, which she claimed she never did.

Fiji's asking for Kelly's suit to be dismissed, and wants damages for its canceled cutout campaign.

12:30 PM PT -- Kelleth's lawyer, Kecia Reynolds, tells TMZ, "Kelleth will not be bullied by Fiji Water, the Wonderful Company, or its billionaire owners."

Soulja Boy's getting a visit from cops to kick off his weekend -- deputies are at his house looking for evidence in that alleged "kidnapping" case ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the Ventura County Sheriff's Department served a search warrant Friday morning at his crib in Agoura Hills, CA -- about 30 minutes outside of L.A. -- in connection with the allegation made by a woman named Kayla.

TMZ broke the story ... Kayla, who had dated Soulja, claims he tied her up in his garage for 6 hours last weekend. For his part, Soulja says she's full of it. Our sources connected to the rapper tell us he had broken up with Kayla, and she showed up wasted at his house Friday night.

They acknowledge Kayla got into a fight with one of Soulja's female managers, but vehemently deny she was held captive, and add ... Soulja never had any contact with her.

Kanye West was a forgery victim and the cost is huge ... nearly $1 MILLION ... sources tell TMZ.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ, a guy Ye knew secretly contacted Philipp Plein, who is staging a big New York Fashion Week event this coming Monday. The guy misrepresented himself to Plein as Kanye's rep and began negotiations for Kanye to perform ... at a STEEP price.

Plein apparently fell for it hook, line and sinker, and they made a deal wherein Kanye would supposedly pocket 7 figures and, in return, he would perform at the NYFW show.

It gets worse. We're told the guy forged Kanye's name on the contract and then had a $900,000 advance wired to an account ... which the guy promptly cleaned out.

Kanye's not performing at the show, and Plein is now out a pretty penny.

As for the guy who committed the alleged fraud ... we're told he's a former friend and associate of G.O.O.D. Music.

We have not been able to reach Plein for comment, but it's a good bet he'll take some sort of legal action.

8:53 AM PT -- Although Ja is a defendant in EHL's lawsuit ... he is NOT on the hook for the $3 mil. The judge only hit McFarland for failing to respond to the suit.

8:32 AM PT -- Ja Rule doesn't seem concerned. He tells us, "this is FAKE NEWS GUYS LOL."

Billy McFarland is gonna have to scrounge together about $3 mil to pay back an investment company that got screwed when Fyre Festival imploded ... TMZ has learned.

EHL Funding sued Ja Rule and Billy over $3 million they loaned the duo less than 3 weeks before Fyre Fest was supposed to go down in April 2017. As we all know now -- courtesy of the Netflix and Hulu documentaries -- McFarland was way over his head at that time and scrambling to get any and all financial support for the concert.

According to docs, EHL won a default judgment because Billy didn't respond to the lawsuit. McFarland's been a little busy -- he started serving a 6-year prison sentence for wire fraud last year.

The judge ordered him to fork over $2,891,600 ... plus 30 percent interest dating back to August 2017 ... and EHL's attorney fees -- which ya just know are gonna be enormous.

Big win for EHL ... on paper. Collecting from these guys might be tough.

Fun fact: McFarland is doing his time at NY's Otisville federal prison ... same place Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is locked up. President Trump's ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, will be there soon too!

Originally Published -- 7:21 AM PST

2/8 -- A spokesperson with the Georgia State Patrol tells TMZ ... a trooper noticed an orange Corvette fail to signal when changing lanes before speeding past cars in a reckless manner.

Cops say the Corvette also sped past the trooper and swerved in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed before getting stuck in traffic. But, as the trooper finally caught up, the Corvette tried accelerating and change lanes but was unable to do so due to the traffic.

That's when the trooper gave the rapper verbal commands -- get out of the car and lay on the ground, and cops say Lil Baby complied. The spokesperson said the rapper -- gov't name Dominique Jones -- was taken into custody without incident. Cops say a crowd did gather -- which is how the video was taken of the incident -- but said they were peaceful.

Cops say the rapper was turned over to a detention staff without incident. He was charged with failure to use a turn signal, reckless driving and fleeing or attempting to elude.

8:08 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Lil Baby has now been released.

Lil Baby just got arrested by police in Georgia who hauled him out of his car on a highway to slap the cuffs on him ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Lil Baby was arrested Thursday in Atlanta for failure to signal, eluding police and reckless driving. We're told he's expected to be released once he posts bond later tonight.

The video of the Atlanta rapper's arrest is wild ... it shows Lil Baby face down in the middle of the street, with his hands behind his back and a police officer pinning him to the ground. Lil Baby is in the tracksuit, laying down outside the orange Corvette.

As we reported ... Lil Baby started off the week like a boss, arriving at the Stripper Bowl in a helicopter!

What a difference 3 days make.

We reached out to the Atlanta Police Department, but they say they had nothing to do with the arrest.

Originally Published -- 4:50 PM PT

The FBI is working with folks on the "Empire" set to track down the person who sent Jussie Smollett a hateful, threatening letter just days before the attack, and they're also on high alert to prevent dangerous mail and other items from making their way to the cast.

Sources on set tell us a private security company was hired by the show and met with FBI agents to establish a protocol for inspecting all incoming mail. We're told the team wears gloves so the evidence in question is not contaminated.

The security team has 2 functions ... to flag threatening, incoming mail and alert the FBI, and to possibly link new items to the letter Jussie already received, containing homophobic and racists epithets along with an image of a noose.

Our sources say the security team has already flagged "hate mail," but we're told that it's nothing new. The show has been targeted by racists and homophobes in the past, but now everyone is on high alert and the FBI is screening all of it.

We're told there are also daily security sweeps on the "Empire" set. Our sources say guards are looking for anything or anyone who might be out of place.

Production hired two additional makeup artists over the weekend to assist Jussie and make sure his cuts and bruises from the Chicago attack are well-hidden.

As we reported -- Jussie returned to Chicago Sunday after his show in L.A. -- and cops want to talk with him again as a part of their ongoing investigation.

'Love & Hip Hop' star Moniece Slaughter says she's living in fear after a man allegedly broke into her home and accosted her.

Moniece just filed legal docs against 30-year-old Sterling Coleman. The nature of their relationship is unclear.

Moniece says it all started last week. For some reason, he was at her home while she was on the phone with her dad and Coleman allegedly called her a nasty bitch. She says he followed her around the kitchen, living room and hallway while barking, "f*** you I'm not going anywhere."

Moniece says Coleman eventually left but moments later broke in through the kitchen window and got extremely confrontational. She says Coleman poured himself a glass of lemonade and drank it before slamming it on the counter so hard it shattered and cut her right index finger. She claims Coleman left but then called her incessantly.

She wants the judge to keep him away ... and the judge obliged. Coleman's gotta stay away at least 100 yards away from her and her 9-year-old son and have no other contact whatsoever.

We're told Coleman's also filed a restraining order against her.

Zac Efron was not too good-looking to play Ted Bundy ... in fact, the director says Zac's looks underscore the very, very dark point of the flick.

Joe Berlinger, the director of "Extremely Wicked, Shocking Evil and Vile," told our photog Wednesday in NYC ... Zac's looks were a plus, but they took a backseat to his acting chops. Joe clearly couldn't be more pleased with Zac's performance, echoing reviews that called it "career-changing."

That said, Joe notes Bundy was able to disarm people with his looks and charm, and the film makes a statement that people who seem desirable on the outside are capable of monstrous conduct.

Joe says Bundy was a testament to the notion of perceived normalcy ... everything you see on the outside may look acceptable, but it's often not what it seems.

The movie was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and Netflix acquired the distribution rights. Berlinger also directed the series "Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes," so his Bundy knowledge runs deep.